Today, wellness is more than just a fad. People are starting to take ownership of their health and are looking for ways to improve their overall health and wellness – especially when they’re at work. Small business owners are beginning to take notice and are now offering wellness programs for their employees. On the surface, wellness programs may seem like a waste of time and money for your business. However, the cost of not offering these programs may be even higher. Workplace wellness programs have many benefits for both you and your employees.

Wellness programs can range from simply offering health-related information to your employees all to way to fitness education and a company gym. Employees are your business’ most valuable asset, and it’s important that you invest in their health and wellness.

Benefits for employers

Investing in wellness programs means investing in your employees. It’s no secret that healthy employees tend to be happier and more productive. Here are some of the biggest benefits of offering a wellness program for your business:

  • Fewer absences: Employees who are stressed tend to get sick more often, meaning they’ll likely miss more days of work than employees who aren’t as stressed. Research has shown that people who are physically healthy miss fewer days of work. Just getting your employees to go on a walk during the day can have tremendous benefits and can be a great way for employees to reduce stress while they’re at work.
  • Improved productivity: Workplace wellness programs tend to have the greatest impact on employee productivity. It makes sense too because with better health comes increased productivity. Just imagine what your workplace could look like if your employees were happy, healthy, and fit. Healthy employees not only perform better at work, but they also bounce back faster if/when they do get sick.
  • Reduced health insurance costs: Although reducing healthcare costs shouldn’t be your number one reason for implementing a workplace wellness program, many businesses have found that implementing wellness programs reduced their costs for health insurance over time. In the long run, a healthier group of employees may be able to drive down insurance rates for your business.

Benefits for employees

Your employees, no matter how fit, have some sort of health risk, whether it’s unhealthy eating, lack of exercise, excess drinking or smoking, not getting enough sleep, or even something genetic. Offering a workplace wellness program can help your employees implement healthy and positive changes in their lifestyle.|

Implementing a wellness program can seem daunting, especially if you’re a small business. Just remember that the basic idea of creating a wellness program is to respond to your employees’ most pressing health issues by offering services that address these needs. If you want, you can start by offering activities that are free, such as holding stretch breaks, implementing a walking program, offering healthy snacks, and organizing healthy team lunches.